The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-20
THE BEST WAY TO DISPOSE OF THE
DEAD


DEAD
| A Very Instructive speech by Sir Spencer
Wells. the Famous SURGEON.
Ftnm the london NdH
Sir Spencer Wells opened the winter ses-
sion Of the MedIco. Chirurgicnl Society ut Not
dress on Sanitary Progress and Cremation.
The death rate. ho said. has been reduced, tho
partial work during the nitary period, lfsuch
work had been more complete. II We had on
q Ss sysnS
been perfect and the desired rainfall to
river sewage ,P to the soil had been effected, IL
spectors had obtained all tho powers they de-
sired to prevent tho spread OF infectious dis
OF tho causes OF excessive infant mortality and
nyoidablo adult death to abate n9isances; to
G ny to
ably doubt that in place OF q death rate 70.
And II we hnye-aswe really havo-seen tho
average duration OF human life, in. Grea, Brit
century ago ago,to 40 Years (which 1t is now n
SordnE life p6es yhyWmRSy MT WnG
Why should its natural duration under perfect
~ healthy surrounding conditions not be Mt
Of some nel IL or Ii years more Why not '''
MY chief object tonight Is to point ont one
mode IN which, without Legislation; without
formers may do much toward removing ono
probable cause of disease BY simply Influence
ple are made to understand that at least nine
tenths OF the deaths in England are premature
be st he
of the public to remember that they also rep
resent the more sacred interests of human life
improvements is punished by preyentable dis
ease ease and premature death. nigh local mortal
ity is largely duo to want OF local information.
For the tens or hundreds who are killed by
murder or man slaughter, or by accident or in
battles on land or sea- thousands and mil
When this is fully understanding imperial Gov
eminent. no local authority, will dare to incur
the responsibility of such II national disgrace.
Now, there is one of our customs on the in
furious influence Of which upon the. public
health eventhe medical profession has thought
too little. 1t Is true that ever since the dawn
OF tho sanitary age the most common mode Of
disposal OF the dead by burial in the earth has
been done to stop burial within churches and
In graveyards in large towns. suburban GEM
town churchyard But. as popaIaion ncreas sMe
1t has become evident that more than this
mus, must be done if the living are to- be protected
eteries are now as dangerous as town grave
yards were fifty years ago.
Is revolving against the present modern slow
process OF putrelqctive corruption, and accept
i9g the pHrer and more rapid ancient PROCESS
whole profession in making the dangers OF earth
burial and the advantages Of cremation more
visers Of tho people in all sanitary matters
especially to consider and to insist upon the
absolute necessity of this sanitary reform II
we are ever to succeed in stamping out infec-
tive diseases.
Seven, years ago at Cambridge 1 alluded to
published in 1897, to show how in old pasture
land every particle OF the superficial layer Of
passed throng the ntesnes Of ea SS Worms
And described the researches of Pasteur on
eharbon, or shlenic fsTer IN cattle proving that
cattle have been buried may conta in the spe.
etilc germs which nropagate the disease; and
the intestines OF, the earth worms--Germs
which, negotiated. propagate the, disease.
What has been proved to be true of Charlton
yer. or measles, Of yellow fever. malarial fever,
cholera; and typhoid. Scarlet fever is Just now
though DR.. Ogle informs me that, notwith-
standing the, popular alarm, the deaths have
in reality been considerably below the ayy-
erage for the previous forty-seven years" Adj
weeks frGm I4iy o to oct u il The mstro;
81, the total deaths in the quarter having
amounted to 416.
Every one OF these dead bodies contained
upon which the fever depends, and they are all
now putrefying In the earth some five or ten
don. Tho germs or spores may retain their
latent vitality for many years, like n graf Of
terminate and e communicate tie Specific dis
ease when favorable conditions arise. Mr.
Wheeihouse of Leeds informs me that he has
years burial He writes to me thut he once
witnessed an outbreak of scarlet fever in the
was Enthusiastically caused by the removal OF
sol from portion Of the
a Se nc o toss wh aa e Of
the, churchyard left some OF the soil unused;
10 81,
lessiy away it was taken into the clergyman's
garden. which adjoined, and spread out oyer
some beds around his nursery. Only few
children in viru'ent form:
Can any one doubt that if this was observed
where it has escaped notice, or that the 47G
bodies OF scarlet fever patients buried during
the past three months around London tsome
putrefactive decomposition in tho
earth. charged with myriads Of parasitic or
tain their vitality for many years. may be store
houses OF poison preserved Tor the destruction
II you acknowledge the importance OF the
question. il you advocate cremation rs the best
mode hitherto practscd. you may be, called
!tpon to answer various ob!ections-lcgal, med
ico-legal. religious, sentimental. The legal
need not trouble you; the highest legal author
The medico.legal objection, that a murdered
or poisoned body might DO burned, and that
sy
the argument that under proper regulations no
human body. could possibly be burned without
or known causes than is now required before
burial. and that by promoting cremation you
are also leading to q more correct and general
system OF registration and certificates of the
true causes Of death. The religious objection
Is met by the words of the late Bishop Of Man
years ago Wordsworth, then Bishop OF Lin
colin was supposed to haiye made some such
to cremation. He did not really do |
so, but he was supposed to have objected. |
and the late Lord Shaftcs bury about this time
sad to me: What an huducious limitation of |
the power OF the Almighty! What has become |
of the blessed martyrs who We're burned at the |
stakeF" And, writing TO me In April. 1855 |
Utmost the last letter he ever wr0te-he used
almost the same words After this. hardly |
think religious feeling will do much to retarl |
Tho change from burial to cremation. And | |
have found tho feeling Of ministers of religion
to he influenced by the consideration that the |
association OF the family with their place of
worship is better preserved by cremation than |
by bnrial. The, harmless ashes Of the departed
If Il large population may he preserved in urns |
within our churches. beneath memorial win |
iows or brassos, or in cloistors close to the |
IL.